Metal clad roofing element



April 5, 1932 s. LEVY 1,852,169

METAL CLAD ROOFING ELEMENT Filed March 22. 192e y R l n gf] l ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 5, v1932 I UNITED STATESy PATENT OFFICE SOLOMON LEVY, 0F RUTHERFOBID, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO ANACONDA SALES i COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATIONl 0F DELAWARE METAL CLAD BOOFING ELEMENT Application led March 22, 1929. Serial No. 349,079.

This invention relates to composite sheetmaterial useful for building purposes and consisting of a base of non-metallic material, and a coating or sheathing of metal applied to the base to provide a protective jacket therefor, and to a method by which such material of high grade can be produced at low cost. More specifically the invention is concerned with the provision of a product particularlyv useful for roofing, this product including a fibrous base made of Irag felt, asbestos felt7 etc.` provided with a protective layer of metal such as copper which is resistant to the action of the elements.

Owing to the high costof wooden shingles and the fire hazard which they present, prepared rooiings have now come into Wide use. Such roofings commonly consist of a felt base impregnated or saturated with asphalt and having a layer of crushed slate or other similar mineral material applied to one face thereof. Ordinarilyv the` face which is toreceive the granular material is coated with a layer of asphalt and thegranules are deposited over this coating and partially embedded therein to be held in place by the coating. Such rooting is relatively inexpensive anddurable, but in the course of time certain ingredients in the impregnating material are volatilized or decomposed by the action of the elements as well as by direct sunlight and the felt rots and decays. This deterioration is usually accompanied b v curling of the edges of the individual elements which results in a roof covered by them becoming unsightly and leaky. ,i

In order to provide an improved rooting element, it has been heretofore proposed to use a felt base of the type above-mentioned and to apply to it a thin layer of metal, such as copper, the metal protecting the normally7 exposed portion of the base and thus increasing the resistance of thefroofng to lire, improving its appearance,A and .lengthening its life. Roofing of this composite type is ordif narily produced by plating a sheathing of metal upon the granule-coated surface of the base by electrodeposition, the surface to recelve the deposit first being rendered elec- .regularities of the granular layer and-thus provide to some extent a mechanical interlock between the granules and the metal. A further development 'involved the substitution for the ordinary slate usually employed as the granular material of a conductive gran-v ular surface such as crushed coke or coal calcined. Products of high qualit-y have 'been made by this latter process, but great care must be exercised in the application of the grit and in the deposition of copper thereon in order to secure a. product of thel best qualit yPlating the metal directly on the asphalt coated surface of the felt has heretofore not been thought-feasible. It has been customary in these platingoperations to use graphite as t-he electroconductive material, this graphite being brushed over the surface of the asphalt coating. "henthat procedure is followed, a smooth metal coating of good A quality is obtained but the bond between the metal and base is relatively Weak and it has not been considered commercially satisfactory.

Even in the best qualities of rooting heretofore produced, the metal has been applied only to the exposed face of the base and, to some extent, on the edges;A the under-surface of each element thus being left Without pro.

tection other than that resulting from impregnation of the felt.v `While it has been known that this under-surface is frequently moistened by seepage of Water and dries out slowly. so that deterioration occurs at this point, it has heretofore been considered impracticable to prode protection for thissurface. That' was so because it was thought necessary` to use an asphalt coating with a Y granular layer in order to produce a surface on which the metal could be plated, and because of the added cost and weight, an additional asphalt and granular coating on lthe under-surface of the base could not be used, even though in such roofing elements, the under-surface of the base is the weakest part.

I have discovered that the difficulties abovementioned can be overcome by a distinct departure from previous practice and have devised a novel metal-clad sheet material which is superior to those which have preceded it in the respect that the lunder-surface of the material is protected without adding to the weight of the element or to its cost, and the `metal is applied directly to the base in a manner such that the metal and base are satisfactorily united without the necessity of depending on a mechanical interlock resulting from plating the metal on a granular layer.

This new element consists of a felted fibrous base, on one surface of which there is applied a relatively heavy coating of asphalt in which is embedded granular material. On

- the other surface of the base there is a relatively thinner coating of asphalt, the edges of the base including the edges of any slots or cut-outs being given a thorough coating of 4asphalt so that substantially the entire body of felt is sealed inthiscoating. A layer of metal is electrodeposited over the smooth surface of the'base and along the edges and a good bond between this metal layer and the base is obtained by reason of the use of a different electroconductive material from that heretofore employed and by adopting a new technique in its application.l

The surface of the metal coating is smooth so that dirt cannot collect on it readily and the metal does not corrodelocally, thus retaining the desired color for an indefinite period and undergoing uniform weathering. Also the smooth surface when painted'to give desired color effects requires much less paint to obtain a permanent film. than is necessary on an irregular surface.` It has been found that the buying lpublic prefers a. smooth surface metal clad material over one in which the surface lis rough and this improvement in appearance and the elimination of a tendency to corrode in spots to a large extent makes the new material highly satisfactory. Also, in the process of applying the metal presently to be described, the metallic sheath is 'continuous over the entire surface of the base and around the edges, the edge plating being as good as-that on the flat face of the element.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying| vdrawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a View in perspective of a single shingle element constructed in accordance y with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a multiple unit shingle of the new type;

Fig." 3 is a top plan viewof a single unit shingle with portions of the several layers 0n the base removed to make the construction clearer;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the rear or under face' of a single unit shingle; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on a magproduced inmany other shapes and forms, i

by way of example.

The single andmultiple unit shingles illustrated are intended to be laid on the roof in a series of overlapping courses in the ordinaryI manner, andA these shingles consist of a base 10 of ordinary rectangular form made ofwhich those illustrated are merely shown of any suitable material, but preferably of rag felt, asbestos felt, or the like. On the upper surface of the base is a coating 11 of metal, this coating extending around the edges of the base and, if desired, over its under surface as indicated at 12 (Fig. 4) In the single shingle, the side edges of the element are cut away as at 13 so that when a plurality of these elements are laid side by side in courses, there will appear to bea space between adjacent elements,'such as occurs between adj acentshingles in an ordinary wooden shingle roof. The metal coating 11 extends from the forward or exposed edge 14 of each element back to a point- 15 which is slightly beyond the line of normal exposure, so that in a series of overlapping courses,

the metal coatings of the shingles in each course are partially overlain at the rear of their exposure areas by the forward edges of the elements in the; next higher course. Owing to the fact that. there are spaces between the forward edges of adjacent shingles desirable purpose and thus the cost of the p metall is kept down. K

The multiple unit element shown in Fig. 2 is similar to the element shown in Fig. 1, except that it has a length equivalent to the width of a plurality of single elements and is provided with cut-outs 13 at its ends and other cut-outs 1T in one long edge properly spaced so as to sub-divide that edge into a plurality of tabs 18, each of which appears, when the element is laid, to be a single shingle.

In the production of these elements, the felt web which forms the base 10 is subjected to the usual impregnation operations, being wholl)- or partially saturated with a waterproofing compound of the bituminous type, such as asphalt. This asphalt permeates the fibres of the felt, more or less filling the voids therein. After this treatment, the felt is given a 'relatively heavy coating of asphalt on one surface and in some instances amuch thinner lilin may be applied on the other surface, asphalt heilig distributed on this other surface and being scraped ofi' so that little or none remains. The asphalt used for the purpose is selected to have a melting point such that it will withstand solar heat with` out running. Over the heavy asphalt coating is distributed granular material, such as crushed slate, and` this slate is pressed into the coating while the latter is still warm, so that the individual granules are partially1 embedded in the coating. The surface having the granular layer is to form the under surface of the finished product. The felt web is next passed through a loop dryer in the usual way and then cut into suitable units.

T he surface of the felt not. provided with grit is now to receive a layer of conductive material. The elements are first brushed to detach loose particles which may have adhered to the felt surface to be treated and then I preferably apply a thin coating of asphalt. over which a conductive material is to be distributed, although a water emulsion of asphalt may be used as an adhesive to hold the conductive ilrn to the base. 'here asphalt is used ,as the intervening layer, the elements are run through a suitable machine in which the asphalt is discharged on the surface to be coated and flows over this surface and over the edges of the units. Excess asphalt is removed from the faces of the elements bj.' a doctor. the edges receiving a coating of substantial thickness. immediately to a bronzing machine in which bronze powder is distributed on the asphalt coating while the latter is still warm and soft and vigorously brushed thereover by suitable mechanism to produce a thin continuous film,

the particles of which are partially embedded v in the coating. II'hen emulsion is used, the elements coated with emulsion are allowed to dry to evaporate the water before the bronze is applied, but it is applied while the surface is still tacky.

From the bronzing machine, the elements are conveyed to electroplating tanks and there receive a deposit of metal in the usual The units pass or tacky asphalt coating, as above described, f

the particles of the metallic powder are partially'submerged in the coating soas to "be firmly secured to the base. Then when metal is plated over these particles, an excellent bond is obtained between the plating and the base, and since the surface is substantially smooth, the plated layer is superior to that which can beobtained on an irregular surface, since with the smooth surface the metal coating is substantially of uniform thickness and is continuous throughout. This bond may be further improved by heating in a hot dryer. In the procedure heretofore followed, it has been customary to employ graphite as the conductive material and to brush this graphite over a cold surface. The particles of graphite are naturally greasy and the graphite does not adhere rmly to the base. As a consequence,'the bond obtained between the metal plated over the graphite and the base is not good and for that reason resort was made to an irregular surface as the surface to be plated. Vith the present procedure, I have found that when the conductive powder is applied over the surface while the latter is still tacky the bond is improved and graphite used in this manner provides a better bond than when employed as heretofore on a cold surface. vThe use of metallic particles on a tacky surface results in a much superior bond than has heretofore been obtainable when metal is plated on a smooth surface, and with't-he new procedure products are made which are highly satisfactory from every standpoint.

It will be seen that the new product, which I is suitable for many uses in building construction, especially as rooing, has the long life of all-metal roong but costs muchiless since the metal is used only as a protective sheathing and the total amount of metal employed to cover a roof is'relatively small. The metal protects all portions of the base which would otherwise be exposed, while the Y ously damp because of the long time required 30 for this under-surface to dry. ln the present element, the surface is protected both by a heavy coating of asphalt and by the layer of grit so that this surface is equally as strong 5 as the other parts of the ele'ment. The felt is enclosed completely within a sealing coating of asphalt and the normally exposed por y. vtions of the asphalt coating are protected from the elements against the direct action'of the sunlight by the metal layer. v The element not only has an attractive appearance but is extremely durable and the cost of the product is no greater than roong elementsof the vmetal clad type as heretofore constructed.,

15 I clalm:

1. A roong product which consists of a non-metallic base, a layer of granular material on one surface of the base, and a layer of metal on the other-surface of the base, the 0 metal being exposed to the weather when the element is llaid on a roof with others in the usual overlapping courses. l 2. A sheet material comprising a base'of fibrous material, a water-resistant coating on one surface of the base, a layer of granular material over the said coating, and a layer of metal on the other surface of the base. 3. A sheet material comprising a base of felted' fibrous material impregnated with a 39 water-proofing compound, a layer of granular material-n one surface of the base, and a layer of'weather-resistant metal on theother surface of the base. 4. A sheet material comprising a base of felt, a layer of granular material on one surface of the base, a layer of metallic powder on the other surface of the base, and a layer of electrodeposited metal over the metallic powder. f 40 5. A sheet material which comprises a felted base, a relatively heavy coating of asphalt on one surface of the'base and on the edges ot the base, a layer yof granular material on the said surface of the base5 the granules. being partially embedded in the coating, a relatively thin iilm of asphalt on theother surface of the base, and a layer of metal over the said thin coating of asphalt and `over the ed es of the base.

.50 n testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

. SOLQLQON LEVY. 

